4 PhD / Postdoc Positions

The interdisciplinary research of the Professorship of Ecological Services (PES), University of Bayreuth aims at better ecological management of agricultural landscapes facing climate change. Towards this goal, four PhD/postdoc positions are currently available to conduct research on decision-making of land users, land use change and ecosystem services. Your research will contribute to interdisciplinary projects where universities, research institutes and stakeholders collaborate.

Your task: In this socio-economic work you will use surveys to analyze farmers’ and citizens’ preferences for ecosystem services. This is the basis to build agent-based models of agricultural land use. The results will drive process-based models to assess ecosystem services of biomass production, carbon storage and nitrogen retention.

This position is part of the BMBF-project “Sustainable use of alpine and sub-alpine grassland soils in a changing climate (SUSALPS)” subproject socio-economy.

Your task: Here you will analyze land use intensities under climate change with respect to a set of ecosystem services.

This position is part of the research cluster “Effects of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem services in semi-natural, agricultural and urban landscapes and strategies for management of climate change (Landklif)”, subproject 9 “Ecosystem services facing climate change”.

Your task: This socio-economic work aims at the spatially explicit evaluation of ecosystem services based on the stated preferences of different stakeholder groups.

This position is part of the research cluster “Effects of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem services in semi-natural, agricultural and urban landscapes and strategies for management of climate change (Landklif)”, subproject 9 “Ecosystem services facing climate change”.

Your task: You will model agricultural practices under climate change with respect to nutrient retention and erosion regulation. This will allow to identify improved management schemes balancing the agricultural yield with water quality of surface and ground water.

This position is part of the research cluster "Effects of multiple stressors on streams in climate change (AquaKlif)", subproject 6„Influence of multiple stressors on watercourses in climate change“.

PhD positions can be combined to create a 100% postdoc position.

Your qualifications for all 4 positions:

Master or PhD degree in environmental, natural, social sciences, geography or economics (depending on position)

Very good command of English language (German is an advantage because all projects are located in Bavaria)

Working environment:

The Professorship of Ecological Services (PES) offers an interdisciplinary working environment

Membership in the Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER) of the University of Bayreuth with more than 60 senior researchers and postdocs with a research focus on biodiversity, ecosystem functions and services

Active involvement in workshops and meetings of Susalps, LandKlif or AquaKlif

Handicapped persons will be given preference in cases with equal qualification. The University of Bayreuth is dedicated to increasing the proportion of women employed in science, and requests explicitly applications from women.

Applicants should apply for a specific position and send in one pdf a motivation letter, curriculum vitae, certificates with transcripts of grades, list of publications, 1-3 sample publications, and contact addresses of 2 referees via email to thomas.koellner@uni-bayreuth.de (Prof. Dr. Thomas Koellner, Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Geosciences, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany).

Date of publication September 17th, 2018 - open for applications until positions filled. Start is planned for end of this year or beginning of 2019. See status on PES webpage or contact Prof. Dr. Koellner for further information.